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THE GUPTAS AND THE VAKATAKAS • After the fall of the Maurya Empire, the Kushans in the North and the Satavahanas in the Deccan emerged as the two major political powers. • They not only brought political unity and economic prosperity to these regions, but were also great stabilizing forces in their respective areas. • Around c. 230 CE, the Kushans’ reign ultimately came to an end in northern India, and a considerable part of its empire came under the suzerainty of the Murundas (possibly kinsmen of the Kushans). • The Murundas ruled for a short time span of about 25−30 years. • This was the Gupta Empire, which kept northern India politically united for more than a century. • The Guptas are believed to be feudatories of the Kushans. They are most likely Vaishyas in origin, and they ruled over fertile parts of the madhyadesha, that is, anuganga (the middle Gangetic basin), saketa (modern Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh), and Magadha (mostly Bihar). • Prayag (modern Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh) was probably their important centre of power, which, due to its strategic location, further aided in the expansion of the empire. • The Guptas could easily exploit the iron ore deposits of central India and southern Bihar, and also took advantage of their proximity to the areas of north India which carried on silk trade with the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman empire). • ‘Garuda’ was probably their state seal. • Historians often consider the Gupta period as the ‘Golden age’ of India’s past as it is often remembered for certain key classical features, such as • The political unification of a large part of the subcontinent under a mostly centralised government. • The production of exceptional Sanskrit literary works, sophisticated stone sculpture. • Architecture and innovative developments in the field of science and technology. • The political history of the Gupta is largely reconstructed on the basis of certain excavated inscriptions and coins. Gupta Dynasty • Maharaja Gupta/Sri Gupta (Founder of Gupta Dynasty) • Maharaja Ghatotkacha Chandragupta – I (c. 319–335/336 CE) • First important king of the Gupta Dynasty; laid the foundations of the Gupta empire and claimed the title of maharajadhiraja (king of kings). • Started Gupta era in 319−20 CE • His empire included parts of modern Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Bengal; with its capital was at Pataliputra. • Enhanced his power and prestige by marrying Kumaradevi, princess of Lichchhavi clan of Nepal • Coins were struck in the joint names of the Emperor, his queen, and the Lichchhavi nation, thereby acknowledging this marital alliance. • Queen Kumaradevi and King Chandragupta I on a coin of their son Samudragupta Samudragupta (c.335/336–375 CE) • Son of Chandragupta I, who followed a policy of war and conquest and enormously enlarged his kingdom. • His rule was one of expansion marked first by the conquest of his immediate neighbours and then by campaigns to the east and the south • Due to this policy of his, the historian V. A. Smith has called him the ‘Napoleon’ of India. • Had a disputed accession to the throne. • His achievements are recorded in a long inscription (an eulogy) engraved on the Allahabad pillar (Prayaga prashasti), whose surface also contains inscriptions of Ashoka and later, the Mughal emperor Jahangir. • Unlike the Ashokan inscription which stresses on peace and non-violence, Samudragupta’s inscription extolling his deeds and virtues stresses on violence and military conquest, and gives us information about his different conquests. • It was composed in pure Sanskrit by Harisena, who was not only his court poet but was also a kumaramatya, that is, a high ranking official who described himself by different titles such as sandhivigrahika (minister for peace and war) and mahadandanayaka (judicial/military officer). • He adopted a different policy for each category. In the first category, located in the Ganga Yamuna doab, he followed a policy of annexation. He defeated nine Naga rulers and incorporated their kingdoms in the Gupta empire. • In the second category, consisting of neighbouring frontier kingdoms and nine republican states of Punjab and western India, Samudragupta’s conquests awed the frontier kings into submission and they agreed to pay tribute and taxes to him and obey his orders without any fight. • He conquered the atavika rajyas, that is, forest kingdoms of central India and forced their rulers into servitude. • The Vindyan forest kingdoms had a strategic value as they held the key of the route to south India. This enabled him to proceed to the south along the eastern coast, conquering twelve kings on the way and reached as far as Kanchi near present day Chennai. • The Prayag prashasti mentions the defeat of the twelve south Indian rulers (together) by Samudragupta (including Vishnugopa of Kanchi). • The ruler of Ceylon sent an embassy to secure privileges for Sinhalese monks at Bodh Gaya. The inscription adds that Samudragupta also received tributes from many kings of south-east Asia. • It is generally believed that though he had spread his influence over a vast area, Samudragupta exercised direct administrative control mainly over Indo-Gangetic basin. • He celebrated his conquests by performing an ashvamedha (horse sacrifice) and by issuing ashvamedha coins (portraying the scene of the sacrifice) marking the occasion. • The magnificence of this monastery was described in the 7th century works of Hieun Tsang/Xuanzang. • He is depicted on his coins both as a muscular warrior (flaunting his victories on a hundreds battlefields) as well as a poet, a musician, and a patron of learning. • He was a great patron of art and adopted the title of Kaviraja (king among poets). • His love for music is attested by his coins that represent him playing on the veena (lyre) on occasion. • Legends on his coins include epithets such as parakramah (brave), apratirathah (invincible), vyaghra-parakramah (brave as a tiger), and ashvamedha-parakramah (powerful enough to perform the ashvamedha). • Though Hindu by practice, he extended his patronage to other religions, and one of his ministers was the great Buddhist philosopher Vasubandhu. Samudragupta is remembered for his patronage of art and literature. Chandragupta II (c. 376 – 413/15 CE) • According to some legends, Samudragupta was succeeded by his elder son Ramagupta, but Chandragupta II killed him. • It is said that Chandragupta II had to kill his brother and marry his wife, Dhruvadevi, to safeguard the honour of the Gupta dynasty. • The peak of the territorial expansion of the Gupta empire was reached during Chandragupta II’s reign (also known as Chandragupta Vikramaditya), who extended the limits of his empire by conquests and marital alliances with other royal dynasties of the period. • He married Kuberanaga, the Naga princess, and had a daughter, Prabhavati, with her. Prabhavati was married to Rudrasena II of the ruling Vakataka dynasty in Deccan. • After the death of her husband, Prabhavati ruled the territory as regent to her minor sons with the help of her father. • During this twenty year period, the Vakataka realm was practically a part of the Gupta Empire. • Chandragupta thus exercised indirect control over the Vakataka kingdom, which proved very beneficial to him. • With his great influence in this central Indian region, he was able to target his other enemies better. • Thus, he conquered western Malwa and Gujarat from the Shaka satraps (one of them was Rudrasimha III) who had been in command in western India for about the past four centuries. • This conquest took the expanse of the Gupta empire to the western sea coast, which was an important region for trade and commerce. • This contributed to the prosperity of Malwa and its chief city Ujjain, which was also Chandragupta II’s second capital. • An iron pillar inscription at Mehrauli in Delhi indicates that his empire included even north-western India and Bengal. • He took the title of Vikramaditya, that is, the one who is as powerful as the sun, and Simhavikrama. • Iron Pillar, Mehrauli built during the Gupta age • He was the first ruler to issue silver coins. • He also issued copper coins and is referred to as Chandra on his coins. He also issued gold coins called dinara. • The Udaigiri cave inscriptions refer to his digvijaya, that is, his conquest of the whole world. • Fa Hien/Faxian, the famous Chinese traveller, visited India during his reign. • His court at Ujjain was adorned by nine famous scholars known as the Navaratnas (‘nine gems’): • Kalidasa: Renowned classical Sanskrit poet and playwright of India and a peerless genius whose works such as Abhijananashakuntalam, Malavikagnimitram, Vikramorvasiyam became famous worldwide. • Amarasimha: Sanskrit lexicographer and poet, and his ‘Amarakosha’ is a vocabulary of Sanskrit roots, homonyms, and synonyms. It is also called Trikanda, as it has three parts containing around ten thousand words. • Varahamihira: Renowned mathematician and astrologer who wrote three important books, the Panchasiddhantika • Dhanvantri: Physician who is considered the father of Ayurveda (literally meaning ‘knowledge for longevity’). • Ghatakarapara : An expert in sculpture and architecture. • Shanku: An architect who wrote the Shilpashastra. • Kahapanaka: An astrologer who wrote the Jyothisyashastra. • Vararuchi: Grammarian and Sanskrit scholar and the author of the Prakrit Prakasha, which is first grammar of the Prakrit language. • Vetala Bhatta: A magician who wrote the Mantrashastra. Kumaragupta I (c.415 – 455 CE) • Adopted the title of Shakraditya and Mahendraditya and performed ashavmedha sacrifice. • Founded the Nalanda University (near present day Patna). • Worshipper of lord Karttikeya (son of Lord Shiva). • During the last years of his reign, peace was disturbed on the north-west frontier due to the invasion of the Huns of Central Asia. • In the mid-5th century, the ye-tha, known as White Huns (Hepthalites), became powerful in the Oxus valley. • After occupying Bactria, the Huns crossed the Hindukush mountains and entered India by occupying Gandhara. • Their first attack during his reign was repulsed by prince Skandagupta.
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